Free Massacre at Lonesome Ridge: A Zombie Western by Samantha Warren

teeth pierced the skin, tiny drops of blood ran over her tongue, she shook with a pleasure she had never before known. It was heaven. Nothing she had ever eaten or experienced, not during her childhood or even during her wedding, could match the explosion of flavor and joy that started in her mouth and coursed through her entire body. It was too much and not enough, all at the same time.
    Charity's teeth snapped closed and she yanked her head back. As a chunk of flesh ripped from Isabelle's throat, the girl's screams became burbling gags. The meat tasted even better than the blood. She chewed slowly, making the moment last as long as she could.
    Isabelle sagged against her as the last bit of life left her weak body. Charity forgot about everyone else in the room. It was just her and the girl, the girl she hated, the girl she now loved. She pulled Isabelle's head back again and trailed a finger down her throat. This time she took a bite from the shoulder. It was tougher than the flesh at the throat, not as tender. But it had its own unique flavor and it was still beyond anything she could have imagined.
    For several blissful minutes, Charity ate, taking bites from various parts of the body, testing their delicacy, comparing their flavors, discovering her favorite bits. Finally, her hunger was sated and she let the dead maid slide to the floor. Charity sank down with her, feeling weak and spent.
    "Take her outside." Little Bear's voice broke through the strange wall of happiness that surrounded her.
    As the big man hefted Isabelle's body over his shoulder, Charity looked up at him. She was in a fog, confused by what just happened, by what she felt. She still floated in a dream world, but it had taken on an all too real hue. A small piece of her was appalled at what she had just done and it clawed its way out from under the animal urges that were threatening to take over. She shook as she realized what she had done. She was a cannibal, devouring the flesh of her very own kitchen maid. She wiped her arm across her mouth. The back of her hand came away streaked with blood.
    "I don't understand," she whispered.
    Little Bear leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to the fold, my little one."

Chapter 10
    Jeremiah Gaines wandered over to the barn, grumbling the whole way. "Stupid Jed. What's he know anyway?" Jeremiah continued to mumble for several minutes in a nonsense language he had invented as a child to express his anger toward his older brother. He threw open the door to the barn and stomped through. The wind slammed it shut behind him as he made his way past the mostly empty stalls. The large barn was falling apart after years of disuse. Animals of every sort used to ramble all over the farm when his parents were alive. Now they just had three horses, one for each of the three remaining brothers.
    Jeremiah stopped in front of his horse's stall. "Howdy, Nelly," he said as he opened the door. The mare nuzzled his pocket when he closed it behind him. "Here ya go, my lovely lady." He reached into his pocket and took out a stick of peppermint candy he had swiped from the general store earlier in the month. He snapped one stick into several pieces and held them in his hand for her to take. She rested her head on his shoulder as she munched and he scratched her along the jaw. "That's my girl. Least someone loves me."
    He glanced over at Jed's horse, Saddle, who stood looking through the bars longingly. Jeremiah narrowed his eyes at the horse. "Stupid name for a stupid horse," he mumbled even as he reached into his pocket with his free hand. Using his leg for leverage, he broke one of the remaining candies into several pieces and pulled them out. Then he stuck his hand through the bars and let Saddle lap the pieces up. He scratched the old horse on the nose even as he continued to grumble.
    When his fingers started to ache, he pulled away from Saddle and pushed Nelly off his shoulder. Nelly's reins were hanging just